Fires displace couple, kill dog in shed

Firefighters battled two fires Monday – one that burned out a couple and another that killed a pet dog in a shed. No humans were hurt.

The first fire was at a single-family house at 339 Smith Drive in northern Durham.

Travis Clements, chief of the Lebanon Volunteer Fire Department, said firefighters got the call about 10:25 a.m. and were at the scene more than an hour.

He said the occupants, a man and his wife, had left for work when the fire broke out. The house sustained fire damage to the kitchen and heat and smoke damage to the rest of the house, including the attic.

A neighbor removed a pet dog from the yard and took it home for safekeeping during the fire.

Damage was estimated at $65,000.

The fire’s cause was being investigated Monday night, but apparently began in the kitchen, Clements said.